


A Tale of Two Assassins and a Rare Gem

by Anonymous



Series: Tales of the Shadows [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins, Angst, Clashing Principles, Death of Orginal Minor Characters, Deception, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Rivalry, Violence that may be graphic at times, assassinations, inner turmoil, they're both seventeen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29857173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Hyunjin had always been the best assassin in training at the Academy of Shadows. But with Han Jisung's arrival, Hyunjin finds himself displaced from the top of the ranks. When both Hyunjin and Jisung are paired for a mission, the result can only be disastrous.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin
Series: Tales of the Shadows [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195124
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: Sweet & Sour Fest





	A Tale of Two Assassins and a Rare Gem

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for the Sweet and Sour Fest. Thank you to the mods for organizing this fest!
> 
> Link to fest twt here:  
> Sweet & Sour Fest
> 
> Note on tags:  
> I've tagged graphic descriptions of violence even though I'm not yet sure whether the violence will be graphic. I just wanted to have it tagged in case! 
> 
> Also, I don't have this fic planned out so the number of chapters is just a guess on my part.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this 💕

Thick eyebrows arched as blue eyes scanned each page of the leather-bound book. The gaunt-faced man paced along the line of assembled students, his ginger moustache twitching in the breeze as he turned page after page.

The afternoon sun and swollen white clouds had given way to the first of the evening’s stars hanging from the darkened sky. The breeze that had felt cool against Hyunjin’s brow now whipped at him with a bite. The Academy of Shadows consisted of four large stone towers nestled amid the peaks of the Kanara mountain range. The altitude meant that from Spring through to Winter, nights were cold.

For three hours they had been assembled beside one of their training rings, waiting for the indecisive man to make his selection. Hyunjin hadn’t moved from position; his hands remained clasped behind his back, chin raised, staring forward. But now he risked a glance towards the Master of Shadows, and could tell from the way that the man had his lips pressed into a firm line, his brows furrowed, that he too had grown tired of this client.

“This one,” the client finally came to a stop, his voice hoarse. “He’ll do.” 

Hyunjin stiffened, exhaling through his nose. Of course he hadn’t been chosen. Hyunjin had begun his training at the Academy of Shadows at the age of five. There should be no one – save for the Master of Shadows himself – who could surpass him in skill. Yet every time a client visited the academy, looking for an assassin for hire, Hyunjin had never been chosen. There was always someone else who seemed more appealing, more dangerous, more suited to the job. Hyunjin simply couldn’t understand it. He had never failed a practical test, had never failed to accomplish any of the missions that the Master had tasked him with, had never erred in anything. And until two months ago, Hyunjin had been ranked the most skilled among his fellow assassins-in-training. 

He scowled at the client who had stopped before the newest student at the academy. Han Jisung had joined the academy only two months ago. A thief handpicked by the Master from some Lord’s dungeon. And he’d risen to the top of the ranks within a few weeks of arriving. 

Hyunjin was now second-best. And no matter how hard he’d been trying to reclaim his place, he remained second-best. Jisung, with that cocky smile, wouldn’t easily vacate the first place position.

Hyunjin unfurled his fingers behind his back, and then closed them into fists, trying to squeeze out the anger and frustration that roamed freely through the current of his blood. The anger was no use to him. Anger made you clumsy, it made you behave in ways you ordinarily wouldn’t, it could cost you your life – one of the first lessons he’d learned as a child.

“Unfortunately, I cannot part with Han Jisung just yet,” the Master of Shadows stepped forward. Hyunjin’s eyes flicked to the Master, and he shifted on his feet, attention piqued. “I have a personal mission for him. A part of his training, I’m afraid.”

And how Hyunjin began to seethe at those words. The Master was giving  _ Han Jisung _ a  _ personal _ mission. Those were reserved for Hyunjin only! He could see several of the other students openly staring at Hyunjin in surprise…and pity. Hyunjin burned with shame, but refused to hang his head. He kept his chin up, his teeth grinding together so hard that they might chip.

When their sour-faced client had picked another assassin-in-training for the job – not Hyunjin of course – and paid for his services before departing, the Master dismissed the rest of them. “Wait, Hwang Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin started in surprise at the summoning, and had to refrain from narrowing his eyes at Jisung who stood bored at the Master’s side. The Master was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a sharply trimmed beard that hung just below his jaw. His dark waist length hair, streaked with gray, was pulled back and tied with a piece of string. He wore his sparring outfit – a bodysuit that they all wore – made from a special navy-colored material, much like leather but more supple. 

Hyunjin bowed at the waist, “Master.”

The Master nodded. “It seems I have need of you and Jisung.” Hyunjin’s eyes widened in surprise, an expression that was mirrored on Jisung’s face. “You will see me after dinner for a briefing.”

Hyunjin refrained from punching into one of the walls as he ascended the Eastern Tower staircase, turning into one the passageways and embracing the warmth that awaited him in the kitchen. Usually, the students were to keep away from the Eastern Tower – reserved for the servants – and were to abstain from directly interacting with the servants too. Hyunjin was privileged in that aspect; he could go wherever he wanted to, and since he’d grown up at the academy, he was on friendly terms with most of the people who worked there.

“You look like you’re in a pissy mood.”

Hyunjin bared his teeth at his only friend and flopped down onto a three-legged stool. He stole an entire flatbread off the counter; it tasted of garlic and rosemary, and filled the gaping hole he wasn’t aware had been in his stomach. He kept his voice down to a whisper after wolfing down half of the flatbread, “Had a client.”

While most of the servants – kitchen servants most of all – weren’t privy to what went on with assassins-in-training, Hyunjin hadn’t been able to resist confiding in Minho when they’d met three years ago. Hyunjin had been sneaking into the kitchen to grab a late night snack when he’d run into Minho sitting beside a candle-flame and trying to scrape off burned tomato relish from the bottom of a pot. 

“I guess you weren’t chosen,” Minho said, expertly filleting a fish. In the three years since he’d worked at the academy his cooking skills had improved immensely. Hyunjin wouldn’t be surprised if Minho was asked to replace the cranky old head chef sometime soon.

“Obviously.” Hyunjin tried not to sound bothered by the fact, but Minho’s frown was telling enough. 

The brunette placed the knife onto the chopping block and leaned against the counter, his arms folded, “I thought you said you weren’t going to hope anymore.” And when Hyunjin didn’t respond, he added with some hesitancy, “You should talk to your father about it.”

Hyunjin gave him a skeptical look. If his father wasn’t the Master of Shadows he would have definitely loved to confide in the man. Hyunjin knew if he complained to his father – his Master – he would have only been berated for whining. 

“Or you could leave. Try your luck on your own, outside the academy.”

Hyunjin knew that there were other kinds of academies scattered throughout the continent – academies that taught mathematics and histories and geographies. Academies that operated differently from this one. The oldest student at the Academy of Shadows was seventy-four years old, and the youngest was eleven. Training periods varied, and assassins-in-training were allowed to leave whenever they felt they were ready. Sometimes it took weeks, sometimes years. There was no limit to learning. 

He pursed his lips. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about leaving. But… “My father wants me to take over from him someday. I can’t just abandon him. I can’t abandon this place. It’s my home.”

“You’re seventeen years old. Other young men your age are beginning lives of their own.” Minho sighed, pulling away his headband and wiping his sweaty brow with the towel tucked into the belt of his tunic. “Your talent is going to waste here.”

“My father has a plan for me,” Hyunjin insisted, pulling a tray of halved hardboiled eggs towards himself. “Even if he won’t tell me what it is, I  _ know _ he has something planned. I just have to wait.” He began to polish off the eggs, drinking directly from the jug of water Minho pushed towards him. 

“I heard that there’s a celebration in Vallense tonight to celebrate the prince’s betrothal,” Minho said, probably in an attempt to restore some cheerfulness to the conversation. Just a five day ride away, Vallense was the closest town to the mountain range where the academy was nestled. Vallense was also the capital and home to the Jiwon Royals, the family who presided over the entire Northern continent. “Some of the delivery boys said so when they brought up supplies. Said there’ll be fireworks too. Want to watch with me?” 

Hyunjin shook his head and offered an apologetic smile, “My father is sending me on a mission.” 

Minho’s brows shot up and he froze, the marinated chicken he was about to dunk in a pot suspended in the air by its legs. “Now?”

“Don’t know,” Hyunjin shrugged. “We’re only getting the briefing tonight.”

“ _ We _ ?” He dropped the chicken into the pot with a splash.

Hyunjin scowled at having to say the man’s name out loud, “Han Jisung and I.”

Minho cackled loudly, earning a glare from one of the three cooks. He waited for the head chef to turn around before sticking his tongue out at her. He turned back to Hyunjin, “The same Jisung you’ve been complaining about? The pain in the ass Han Jisung?”

Hyunjin nodded. Minho hadn’t even set eyes on Jisung yet, but he was sure that the cook had his fair share of prejudices against Jisung because of all Hyunjin’s complaints. Hyunjin had yet to mention that he himself hadn’t yet shared a conversation with Jisung.

He looked down at his reflection in the empty silver tray. His white-as-snow hair, a trait acquired from the mother he never knew, fell to his shoulders, slick with sweat and dirt from being in the training ring all day. “I’m heading down to the bathing chamber. I’ll see you…” he trailed off, and shrugged. He didn’t know how long this mission would take. It could range anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.

“When you come back,” the corner of Minho’s lips tugged into a lopsided smile. He added, “Try not to break any bones.”

Hyunjin scoffed, “None that are my own.” He gave Minho a mock salute and headed for the doorway.

“Hyunjin?”

He pivoted and arched a brow.

“Seriously, be careful.”

“Of course.”

The bathing chamber was situated in the lower levels of the Southern Tower. Sconces were built into the walls, providing flickers of calming light – just bright enough for one to find their way. The lower levels were built right into the mountains where the crisp air had difficulty penetrating. The tubs were carved into the grey stone floors, and the water in each bath fed directly from the hot springs at the base of the mountain. 

The entire chamber was empty as the trainee dinner bell had sounded only five minutes ago, so Hyunjin had the pleasure of privacy and serenity as he stripped and sank into a bath. He groaned in appreciation when the warm water lapped over his shoulders, soothing his aching muscles, loosening the tight knots that had formed with every blow he’d received in training throughout the day. He knew that the bruises would linger, but he’d apply some salve before he slept. 

He tilted his head back against the edge of the stone bath, cushioned by his bunched up bodysuit. His eyes closed as he breathed in and out, in and out. And all too soon, his peace was interrupted by the doors creaking open. His eyes remained shut, hoping whoever it was had the sense to keep their mouth shut and let him enjoy his bath. 

Feet padded across the stone floor, halting at the far end of the chamber. Good. They had enough tact to keep a distance. He listened to every move – the rustling of their clothes as they stripped, and their plunge into the bath. 

His skin grew prickly even as the water lapped against his skin, claws tenderly raking chills along his body. He knew that feeling all too well. He was being watched. 

He opened his eyes, taking half a second to adjust to the dim lighting. He blanched when he met the gaze of the man submerged in his bath across the chamber.  _ Han Jisung _ . The student extraordinaire had his head slightly cocked to the side, lips slanted, something like amusement dancing in his eyes. And Hyunjin was not going to play this game. He wasn’t the evening entertainment.

He started to rise from the bath, but froze, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. When the bathing chamber was full, washing oneself was more of a mechanical task, and there was no shame in nudity. But now with just the two of them, the vast empty space between them seemed to fade away, and Hyunjin felt a flush creep up his neck, warmth settling into his cheeks.

He stretched an arm out to reach for the towel he’d discarded a few feet away. How was he going to do this? He glanced at Jisung again. The young man held his stare for a second longer before he sank deeper into the tub, eyes closed. Oh, good. 

_ You’re such a coward _ , Hyunjin chided himself. His body was perfectly sculpted and nothing to be ashamed of; it had nothing to do with vanity, but rather the result of years of exerting himself in training exercises. 

Hyunjin focused on the steady  _ drip, drip, drip _ of water on the stone floor as he toweled himself off, glancing at Jisung every now and then to make sure his eyes were still closed. And dressed in a fresh bodysuit, he scowled and slammed the doors shut.

“I have a client,” the Master of Shadows said, taking a seat at the round table, cluttered with all manner of maps and scrolls, “who desires a rare piece of jewelry.” Hyunjin kept his face impassive, masking his surprise at the mission. He’d been sent to assassinate people for their secrets, for their knowledge, for the threats that they posed, but he’d never been sent to retrieve a piece of jewelry. The client must have been paying well for his father to agree to such a menial task. And to send two of his best students – Hyunjin gave Jisung a begrudging glance – to accomplish that task, said much about the importance of it. 

The Master continued, “The necklace contains a rare ruby that our client wishes to add to his collection. It was stolen by a thief sixty years ago. Information has recently surfaced from Llysia,” the Master said. Llysia was a long way away. Hyunjin’s eyes widened at the realization that he would be traveling much further than he ever had before. “The last living descendent of that thief still holds that necklace. You are to obtain the necklace and return with the head of the holder.” His father gestured to a pouch on the table; it was filled with coin, Hyunjin knew from experience. “You’ll leave right now.”

Jisung swiped the pouch off the table before Hyunjin could react. He gritted his teeth and followed behind the roguish young man. 

It took Hyunjin two minutes to run up to his room and retrieve the bag that he’d already packed. His next stop was the armory, and he wasn’t surprised to see Jisung already there. Hyunjin began slipping knives of various sizes through the bandolier strapped across his chest. In his periphery he could see Jisung doing the same. 

“Your hair,” Jisung said, eyes flickering to Hyunjin’s face and back to the broadsword in his hand. “Do you dye it every time you go out on a mission?”

“My natural color attracts too much attention,” Hyunjin muttered. It was a nuisance and Hyunjin often wished there was a way to permanently strip away the startling white color. One of the many reasons Hyunjin abhorred his mother. It was as if she’d cursed him before she abandoned them. 

“I don’t think your natural hair color would be a problem if you kept your hood up.”

Hyunjin stared, belatedly realizing that this was his first conversation with Jisung, and it was about his  _ hair _ of all things. “I can’t risk that.” His father had made it clear. “Assassins are supposed to be invisible – any defining features, anything memorable can cause trouble.” He looked pointedly at the streaks of blue dye that ran through Jisung’s dark hair. Of course he hadn’t followed the rules.

“Pity. You look prettier with white hair.”

Hyunjin balked, touching his dark hair self-consciously. Did Han Jisung just tell him he looked  _ pretty _ ? 

“You know,” Jisung continued as if he hadn’t just confused the hell out of Hyunjin, “the whole ‘assassins are supposed to be invisible’ thing… It’s pretty old school. Sometimes you need people to know who you are.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not how things are done at this academy,” Hyunjin snapped, offended on behalf of his father. 

He turned to the window at the sound of fireworks in the distance. He wouldn’t be able to see any of it from the armory, but he wondered if Minho sat on the turrets of the Eastern Tower, watching the tiny bursts of color light up the night’s sky.

“We’ll take the Southwestern pass, take a boat up the Norwyne and cross over at the Baeksu border.”

Hyunjin whirled on Jisung, furious at being given orders, and at the route that was being proposed. “At that rate it will take  _ a week _ to reach Llysia! If you actually took a look at the map, you’d see that it would be faster taking the Northwestern pass. We’d reach Llysia without having to cross at Baeksu.”

But Jisung met his hard stare with one of his own, his eyes blazing with defiance. “Have you been to Llysia,  _ Prince of Shadows _ ?” 

Hyunjin prickled with anger at the use of that nickname so often thrown at him in mockery in the training rings. The other students weren’t very pleased to have the Master’s son in their ranks and often took it upon themselves to make him as miserable as possible. 

“The thing is,” Jisung’s grin was boyish, stretching across his face so that his cheeks expanded, “I know you haven’t been further than Vallense. But I have.” Wow. Was he really going to rub it in? “What I’m saying is, I know the best route to Llysia because I’ve used it. Also,” hesitated for a second, “I really hate to point this out but according to the ranking list in the North tower, I do rank higher than you. And according to protocol…”

According to protocol for paired missions, whoever ranked higher got to call the shots. Hyunjin knew what he’d see on the ranking list. Second best. That’s all he was capable of since Jisung’s arrival. He took a step back because he knew when to stand down, knew when to accept defeat. But he wasn’t going to let Jisung remain victorious for long.

He’d use this mission as a way to prove that Jisung may rule the training rings, but he wouldn’t hold a candle to what Hyunjin was capable of in the real world.

There was a vast difference between the Northwestern pass and the Southwestern pass. Up north, the path was smoother, worn down by countless travelers that passed through every day. Because the Northwestern pass was so well used, there were even campsites – places to rest. You could also happen by the odd seller or two, willing to whip up a warm meal for a few coppers. 

But because of  _ Han Jisung _ , they’d taken the Southwestern pass.

The path was rough and uneven, littered with jagged rocks that pierced the skin of their boots. Although they’d traveled through the night, they hadn’t come across a single traveler. There was nowhere to rest except the coarse terrain, and that wouldn’t have been comfortable at all – so they didn’t stop.

By the time the sun had risen, coloring the dark sky with flares of gold, Hyunjin’s feet had been screaming for reprieve. But they had no choice but to continue, heading for the small town of Tordale where they’d hire a boat and set sail on the Norwyne.

_ Crunch, crunch, crrrunch. _

Hyunjin cringed, fingers balled into fists.

_ Crunch, crrunch. _

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Unable to contain his annoyance and frustration any longer, he spun around, confronting Jisung with a glare. “Is that really necessary?”

Jisung halted in his tracks, half-eaten apple hovering at his lips. His brows drew together as if he had no idea what Hyunjin was talking about.

“Is  _ what _ necessary?” Jisung raised a brow, lowering his apple away from his mouth. “Eating? I mean, yeah. It’s necessary.”

Hyunjin scowled, “There’s absolutely no reason to eat so – so  _ loudly _ !”

Jisung snorted out a laugh that made Hyunjin’s temper climb a few degrees higher. “Sorry for the bad table manners, Your Majesty.”

Hyunjin shook his head, turning around and stuffing his fists in the pocket of his jacket to keep from using them on the annoying assassin. Surprisingly enough, Jisung discarded the remainder of the apple into the precipice below, “Food wastage,” Hyunjin muttered.

“What’s your problem?”

Hyunjin looked at Jisung in surprise, “ _ My _ problem? You’ve got to be kidding…”

To his chagrin, Jisung kept up with his increase in pace, “You have a problem with every little thing that I do. Why don’t you like me? Is it something I unintentionally did?”

Unintentionally? Hyunjin threw his head back and laughed, “Oh, you have  _ got _ to be kidding me!” What the hell was this? Why was Jisung feigning ignorance? As if everyone didn’t know they were rivals…

“No, really,” Jisung kicked a few large stones aside, clearing their path. “I like you.” Hyunjin paled and then flushed a deep shade of red. What? “I think you’re cool,” Jisung continued casually. “You’re amazing back in the training ring. I’ve heard stories about your missions too. You do things efficiently. Perfectly. You’re a model assassin. Why wouldn’t I want to be your friend?”

Hyunjin simply stared ahead, unable to find a response. Was this a joke? It had to be a joke. He knew his cheeks were hot to the touch and he ducked his head so Jisung wouldn’t see.

“So what do you say?” Jisung asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice now. “Friends or…?”

When it became obvious that Hyunjin wasn’t going to respond, Jisung cleared his throat. “Look, back in the armory I shouldn’t have uh…” he scratched the back of his head. “I shouldn’t have called you that name.”  _ Prince of Shadows _ . “It just slipped out before I could stop myself. I’m sorry.”

Hyunjin didn’t know how to turn down the assassin’s apology and his offer of friendship without looking like a petulant child. So he cleared his throat and lied, “I don’t dislike you.” Beside him, Jisung was the picture of surprise. “I just don’t see the point of being friendly with anyone when we’re all being trained as hired killers.” And that part wasn’t a lie. When the nature of your job was to take lives, to become someone invisible, someone unrecognizable – a shadow, a plume of smoke that vanished into the night – something like friendship could be a light that illuminated your shadow. Friendship could be dangerous. 

Hyunjin shook away the image of the young cook who would be hard at work in the academy kitchen by now. Minho was different. The only light that Hyunjin would refuse to extinguish.

He was glad when Jisung fell into silence, probably convinced with the lie he’d been fed. If Jisung wanted to pose as an innocent, Hyunjin would let him. But he wasn’t going to let Jisung make him out to be the bad guy. 

Eventually they reached the Southwestern Staircase. It was a worn set of stairs carved into the slope of the mountain. Again, had they taken the Northwestern path and used the Northwestern Staircase, they would have had less trouble; the Northwestern Staircase was well looked after with workmen constantly checking on its stability, carving and re-carving where necessary. Unlike  _ this _ staircase.

Hyunjin stared in dismay. This was not how he’d planned on ending his life. A crumbling, narrow staircase that had obviously faced the worst of the stormy weather without any repair. 

“You’re not scared of heights, are you?”

Hyunjin rebuked Jisung with a scoff, “Of course not.” But he was afraid of death. It was too soon. He had his entire life ahead of him and—

“Well, I’m scared of heights.”

Hyunjin gawked at the admission, “I – you are?”

Jisung nodded, and Hyunjin could see the paleness that had washed out the color from his skin, “I mean I’ll do it. Because I have to. But yeah, heights are…” he shuddered. “Not my strength.”

Hyunjin thought back to the challenges his father had set for the trainees, several of them involving climbing great heights. But Jisung hadn’t shown an inkling of fear. How had he hidden it so well? His acting skills were definitely on par then.

“I’ll go first,” Hyunjin muttered. As terrible as Jisung was, he couldn’t help but pity him right then. Jisung didn’t argue with him.

After frigidly testing the first few stairs with the toe of his boot, Hyunjin quickly developed a system – test a stair, take a step, stop for a few seconds so Jisung can breathe, and repeat. He looked back at Jisung every now and then, seeing him grow increasingly pale with each weathered stair he stepped onto. There were several times Hyunjin found his heart jumping into his throat when he felt the rock shift beneath his feet. But both he and Jisung were light on their feet and nimble enough to avoid the worst parts of the staircase.

It was late afternoon when they reached the last stair. Both exhaled in relief when they stepped onto firm ground. 

“Thanks,” Jisung muttered, the paleness in his face now overrun with bright red. 

If Jisung wasn’t so embarrassed Hyunjin would have reminded him that they would have had a much easier time if they took the Northwestern Pass. So if he’d suffered on the way down, it was his own fault and no one else’s. 

But Hyunjin gulped down the remainder of the water in his canteen and gestured to the rickety sign board half supplanted from the damp patch of grass it had been lodged into. They’d reached Tordale. And once they rented a boat they’d be faced with a dreadful week-long journey down the Norwyne. 

Jisung seemed fairly familiar with the small town. He led Hyunjin down cobblestone paths bordered with storefronts. They passed a bakery, a cobbler, and a coffeehouse before they cut through an alleyway. 

The alley opened to a small boathouse, where a middle aged man dressed in sailor’s garb sat on a three legged stool. With his head bowed, chin poking his chest, he let out stuttering snores. Hyunjin frowned when Jisung rudely tapped the toe of his boot against the stool, causing the man to wake with a start. 

“What’s up, Rory?” Jisung smiled, receiving only a scowl in return.

Rory wiped the drool off his chin and looked from Hyunjin to Jisung. His scowl grew, “ _ You _ again.” And Hyunjin had to wonder what Jisung had done to piss off the man. “I’m not letting you into one of my boats ever again. I thought we established that.”

Jisung’s grin was apologetic, “It’s not like I didn’t pay you for the damages.”

“You only paid for half of it!” the man argued. He lurched to his feet, fingers balled into fists, 

“Actually,” Jisung paced the length of the pier, eyes raking over the rowboats roped to the moorings, “I paid you half in coin, and half in kindness.” Even Hyunjin thought that was bullshit. Jisung raised a brow at the man, “Wasn’t it  _ me _ who found the thief that stole one of your boats?” 

With a deep sigh, Rory shook his head, “I can’t help you even if I wanted to. All of my boats are rented out.” Jisung exchanged a panicked look with Hyunjin. “There’s a festival in Scotsville tomorrow midday. These boats,” he jerked his head toward the boats that were floating near the quay, “are paid for. They leave in the morning. Your best bet is to hitch a ride with someone.”

Hyunjin waited until they were in the alley again before he turned on Jisung, “This is  _ your _ fault.”

To his annoyance, Jisung merely rolled his eyes, “It’s not that big of a deal, Hyunjin. We can check into an inn and wait until the next boat is available. Right?”

Hyunjin gaped. He couldn’t understand how Jisung was so… So unbothered. It was as if the mission was insignificant. Maybe it was to him.

He remained rooted in place while Jisung trudged ahead mumbling about an inn nearby. Hyunjin slipped a hand beneath the folds of his cloak, fingers finding the bandolier strapped across his chest. With a long dagger swinging in his hand, Hyunjin turned back to the boathouse.

“Wait,” Jisung sounded panicked behind him. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Getting our boat.”

There would always be casualties on any mission. It was normal. All part of the job description.

“No.”

Hyunjin wrenched his wrist free of Jisung’s grip and glared at him threateningly, “What the hell? This is our mission. We do what we have to do. Do you not understand how this works?”

Jisung shook his head, fixing Hyunjin with a hard stare, “You can’t just go around killing whoever stands in your way.”

“I’ve done it before,” Hyunjin scoffed, eyes narrowed as he studied Jisung. “I thought I was a model assassin? Efficient, perfect? Or was that just flattery?” 

“I meant what I said,” Jisung’s gaze softened. “But I owe this man. I caused trouble a few years ago and he suffered for it.”

Hyunjin stared in revulsion. Assassins weren’t supposed to take feelings into account. Assassins didn’t pay debts – they canceled debts with death. Assassins did only what they were paid to do, not more and definitely not less. If something stood in your way, you cut it down. 

“Please?”

Hyunjin looked away and murmured, “Bullshit.” He fixed his eyes on the boathouse, “You either help me or you stand back and let me do it.”

“We can hitch a ride, like Rory suggested.”

“Tomorrow?” Hyunjin gave him a skeptical look. “We’re wasting time—”

“Except,” Jisung interrupted, his voice low, cautious, “we weren’t given a time-frame. There’s no need to rush this.”

But Hyunjin felt a burning need to rush this mission. Not just so he could rid himself of Jisung’s company, but because he craved the reward of success – his father’s approval. 

“Hyunjin,” Jisung took a step towards him, his jaw clenched, brows drawn together, “I won’t let you do this. So please, don’t force my hand. The last thing we need is for us to hurt each other. What happens to the mission then? What would our Master – your father – say?”

It was that last question that made Hyunjin lose his resolve. What would his father say? He couldn’t imagine his father being pleased if he went back to the academy without Jisung. Even if he explained that there had been trouble between the two of them, his father would never forgive him for getting rid of his best student. Hyunjin even had the inclination that if Jisung was the one who went back to the academy without him, his father wouldn’t be too upset.

Hyunjin lowered his gaze as he turned around and pushed past Jisung, their shoulders bumping harshly, “It’s your responsibility then. Get us a ride. If you don’t have one secured by the end of the night, I’ll do things my way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Author details will be updated later 💕


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